Alum Mordant Recipe for Dyeing Silk Fabric

Get the perfect color when dyeing silk fabric with this Alum Mordant Recipe.

By Sasha Duerr

| December 2013

You can process silk fabric with a mordant the same way you do wool and other natural fabrics.Photo by Fotolia/gio_tto

“The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes” by Sasha Duerr is full of helpful tips and recipes for home dyeing enthusiasts.Cover courtesy Timber Press

Home dyeing can be a gamble if you are new to the idea, but even if you are experienced in the art, knowing the reaction difference between animal fibers and plant based fibers can be crucial to proper dye absorption. Using The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes (Timber Press, 2010) Sasha Duerr walks you through using mordants and natural dyes in perfect harmony. Dye your silk pieces with the alum mordant recipe in this excerpt.

Alum Mordant Recipe

You can process silk fabric with a mordant the same way you do wool and other natural fabrics. Weigh your silk fiber before measuring the alum; alum is used in proportion to the dry weight of the fiber. For silk, you can use either a cold-water or a hot-water dye method. This recipe is for the cold-water dye method.

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